Welcome everyone. I’m Giovanni Righini, and today I have the pleasure of speaking with Paolo Mamo, founder and former manager of Altavia Italia for over 25 years, and now president of the Planet Life Economy Foundation, a non-profit committed to sustainability in its broadest sense. Welcome, Paolo.

Thank you, good morning. I’d start from something personal—my cultural background, which has deeply influenced my path. I have a degree in philosophy, and looking back, I can say it helped me immensely. At the time, choosing philosophy was a way to distance myself from the logics of profit and business. Ironically, I ended up becoming deeply involved in the entrepreneurial world. That slightly off-track approach became essential when facing many of the challenges ahead—and I think we’ll see it emerge throughout this conversation.

There’s something I was going to ask later, but since we’re here… In your family there are stories of true excellence—technological innovation and industrial policy. Would you like to tell us more about that?

Absolutely. I think you’re referring to someone who has been a guide and a source of inspiration, even in my humanistic choices: my uncle, Mario Ciu. He was, along with Olivetti, the mind behind the first Italian computer—before the Americans, in fact, which is an important point. He was a full-fledged engineer with a deeply humanistic vision of the world. That unique blend created something extraordinary.

I’d also mention my father, a remarkable consultant who, perhaps controversially by today’s standards, worked to globalize Italian enterprise. He helped bring the first Italian companies into China—an initiative made possible, in part, by family ties to Chinese diplomacy. This brought together two very different industrial cultures: one that was then mostly agricultural but full of ambition, and another already highly advanced. That comparison helped shape the way I understood transformation—and how the global dynamic has, in some ways, reversed today.

Let’s now turn to your professional background. Altavia is one of the largest international groups focused on retail marketing. Can you tell us about your journey within the company, and what led you to transition toward sustainability and the third sector?

Altavia is a French group with over 50 offices around the world. I founded Altavia Italia in 1997, starting its operations in the Italian market and building its entire activity. Our goal was to support retail through communication and what we called operational marketing.

But after 25 years, I felt the need for a radical change. I began asking myself fundamental questions: What am I doing? Why am I doing it? For whom? That restlessness led me to leave the company in 2022. I wanted to dedicate myself fully to a project I had been involved in since 2003: the Planet Life Economy Foundation. It was a foundation that had always operated on the margins of my business life, and I decided it was time to put it at the center.

Let’s talk about the foundation. What exactly does the Planet Life Economy Foundation do?

It’s a foundation established over twenty years ago by a small group of visionary individuals. We define ourselves as a think and do tank. Our mission is to explore new cultural and economic paradigms and to support companies and institutions in transitioning toward regenerative models.

We have an index we created—called SPI, the Sustainability Positioning Index—which helps assess how much companies are genuinely committed to sustainability. But more broadly, we offer training, strategic support, and transformation programs for organizations that want to move from words to action.

Let’s talk about decision-making. You’ve been through complex business processes—mergers, exits, repositioning. How has your approach to decision-making evolved over time?

Over the years, I’ve realized that good decisions often don’t come from certainty—but from listening. In the early days of my career, I believed that decisiveness was the mark of a leader: quick responses, firm choices, no hesitation. But experience has taught me that truly important decisions require time, complexity, and sometimes doubt.

I’ve learned that you need to listen to many voices: the people around you, the context you operate in, and most importantly, your own values. Sometimes the hardest decisions are the ones that challenge your role, your power, your success. But they’re also the most transformative.

Do you think doubt can be a resource in leadership?

Absolutely. Doubt opens space for dialogue. It forces you to ask better questions. In a world obsessed with answers and speed, taking the time to explore uncertainty is an act of courage. And often, it’s where real innovation begins.

Let’s widen the view. Today we often hear about a world in polycrisis—environmental, social, economic. What role should entrepreneurs and business leaders play in this context?

They must play a central role. We can no longer afford to separate the economic dimension from the environmental and social ones. Businesses are not outside of the world—they’re embedded in it. And as such, they have both a responsibility and an extraordinary opportunity.

I often say: entrepreneurs can and must be authors of change. That means going beyond mere compliance or reputation. It means embracing interdependence as a strategic and ethical value. No company survives alone. Every business is part of an ecosystem—and has the power to regenerate it, or exhaust it.

This is why I speak of a “regenerative economy.” An economy that doesn’t just limit damage, but actively contributes to the wellbeing of people and the planet. That’s the challenge—but also the horizon that gives meaning to doing business today.

You often talk about regeneration instead of sustainability. What’s the difference, and why does it matter?

Sustainability has often been interpreted as a defensive concept: reduce damage, minimize impact, slow down the harm. But in many cases, that’s no longer enough.

Regeneration is a leap forward. It’s not about being “less bad”—it’s about actively creating value for the systems we’re part of. It means restoring ecosystems, strengthening communities, cultivating meaning and equity.

And it’s not just about the environment. Regeneration applies to people, organizations, and ideas. It challenges us to reimagine business models, governance, even the way we define success.

This shift—from sustainability to regeneration—requires courage, vision, and a different way of thinking. It’s not about fixing the old—it’s about designing the new.

You mentioned meaning and vision. Do you think we need a new cultural framework to support these transitions?

Definitely. The ecological and social crisis is also a cultural crisis. If we want different outcomes, we need different narratives, values, and mental models.

That’s why I believe deeply in the contamination between disciplines. We need philosophy to ask better questions. We need science to explore solutions. We need art and design to imagine alternatives. And we need businesses willing to experiment with new paradigms.

At Planet Life Economy Foundation, this is exactly what we try to do: create bridges. Between ideas and action, between sectors, between visions and tools. Because the future isn’t built by one player alone. It’s a collective, evolving story.

Let me close with our classic final question at Decision Science Alliance: when faced with a difficult decision—personal or professional—what guides you?

I try to return to the why. Why am I doing what I’m doing? What kind of future do I want to be part of? These are not abstract questions—they’re compass points.

In complex moments, I also try to step back. Not to escape the pressure, but to reconnect with what truly matters. Sometimes that means pausing, other times it means seeking out perspectives I hadn’t considered. But I’ve learned that the best decisions often emerge from listening—rather than asserting.

Thank you, Paolo. This has been a rich and open conversation. We’ve covered a lot: entrepreneurship, culture, responsibility, regeneration. I’m sure it will leave many of our readers with something valuable to reflect on.

Thank you, Giovanni. These are the kinds of conversations we need more of. Because they don’t just inform—they transform.